Letters

Let's Not Limit God

Reading the Letters in your July 1999 issue ("More than just symbols," and "Embarrassed by many Gods"), I can see that the Hindu pantheon and its depiction causes anxiety, indignation, embarrassment and other negative emotions. This is unfortunate. God can be, to His devotee, a formless nothingness, a single Supreme Being, icons representing the attributes of this Supreme Being or multiple real Celestial Beings. Though our intellect cannot fathom this, He can be all of these forms at one and the same times.SV Singam
Penang, Malaysiasingam@mailandnews.com

Ramakrishna Mission

Thank you for publishing the beautiful August, 1999 issue, featuring the Ramakrishna Order of India. I am very happy that those readers who may have been unfamiliar with this spiritual community have a chance to see how magnificent it isLinda Prugh
Kansas City, Missouri, US

The original manuscript of "Song of the Sannyasin" was well-known to Swamiji's brother monks and disciples at the time it was composed in 1895. The manuscript found in the wall at Ridgely Manor was an early draft of the widely distributed "Song." It seems also that Swami Vivekananda's lecture referred to as having been delivered "during a brief stay in Colombo in 1889" was actually delivered in Jaffna on January 25, 1897David Merritt
Carmichael, California, USdavid_merritt_1954@yahoo.com

Right on both points, David. Yogaswami heard Vivekananda speak at Vytheswara College in Jaffna. "Time is short, the subject is vast," began Swamiji. Thank you.

Hindu-Christian Relations

Overzealous and fanatical Christians truly believe that if the whole world embraced Christianity there would be universal peace, love and understanding. Christians on the other hand must realize that they should first put their house in order. With over 24,000 different sects of Christianity, should they not first unify themselvesK. Thuruvan
Seremban, Malaysia

We just received the latest issue dealing [June, 1999] with the issue of conversion. I experienced some pressure here in Fiji with Jehova's Witnesses who gave me booklets with translations from the Katha Upanishads tailored to suit Christian views. I found such distortion very troubling.Swami Vyasa Prasad
Ba, Fijivyasa@is.com.fj

Hinduism Today stands out as the most organized and most powerful media-based force against Christian and Islamic assault on Hinduism. It deserves not only commendation but active support of every Hindu in the world. The June issue is a bold yet very factual, informative and logical rebuttal to the mal-propaganda of the Christian world. It has also exposed the shameful slave mentality of the English newspapers in India who did not care to investigate the biased and distorted reports before publishing them. Every religious leader has served the cause of Hinduism in his own way. Gurudeva, based in Hawaii, decided to take the media-based route to serve Hindu Dharma.Brahma Swarup Varma, Director
India Heritage Research Foundation
Monroeville, Pennsylvania, US

As Mrs. Christina Shankar has pointed out [My Turn, June, 1999], there are many good Christians in the world. The unfortunate fact is that they have never openly and publicly disapproved, let alone condemned, baneful conversions. The missionaries might consider their silence as an endorsement of the mission of proselytization. For proselytization to be successful, the missionaries have to hide their own faults while making false and malicious propaganda about the target religion and society. This is a deliberated attempt to cause conflict and disharmony in the target society and then hide behind the mask of human rights. Why have they been concentrating their efforts of proselytization in India and not in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc? The answer is that they enjoy complete freedom in India, and Hindus, being tolerant, progressive and neutral, are a soft target.Dr. Jatindra Saha
University of Plymouth Englandjsaha@plymouth.ac.uk

The www.bethany.com Christian web site was shocking. How elaborately they have segmented the market, planned how to position Christianity with each group, explained that extra benefits should be added to capture the market--all in pure marketing jargon. I'm looking forward to more such revealing stories.Rajesh Johnny
Chennai, Indiarajeshjohnny@england.com

Xena Fan Responds

I'm a long-time fan of the television show, "Xena, Warrior Princess." I would like you to know (and of course I'm only one person) that the episodes set in India, especially "The Way," have inspired me to inquire further into the substance of Hindu religion and philosophy and the history and tradition of the peoples for whom Hinduism is a living faith and way of life. What I saw on Xena in no way occasioned in me any disrespect for Hinduism or the history and culture of India. Precisely the opposite.Senachiesmith@xpres.net

For the Well-Dressed Hindu

VANDE MATARAM! It's sad to see that we have so little pride in our culture nowadays that we must wear foreign clothes, speak a foreign language and let our children grow up knowing only the Western way of life. No schoolchild in Bharat should have to dress in a British uniform, and no employee should have to wear a Western suit on the job. We have a rich culture that we should practice first and foremost.Sita Upadhaya MuraliSita_Murali@yahoo.com

Love Those T-Shirts

I think the godly t-shirts are terrific. I'm thinking of buying one for myself.Satguru Yatishwari Savitripriya Swami
Shiva-Shakti Ananda Ashramsavitripriya_sw@hotmail.com

Now I Appreciate India

I have been very impressed with Hinduism Today's contents. It makes all my dominant feelings for Vedic/Sanatana Dharma reemerge from the so-called deep state of sleep that the Hindu society has been in. Hindu society and culture is so vast and bewildering that I almost felt lost in the sea of Hinduism in India and yet never knew exactly what it really was. Now living away from India and being fortunate enough to compare it with others and put it to practice in real life situations, I feel like what Swami Vivekananda must have a century ago: "I respected mother India then, I revere her now"Sucheta MaheshwariSuchetaUSA@aol.com